dispatches from here

This is where my Vietnam trip began. Saigon. A storied city, completely packed and chaotic. The goal? Saigon to Hanoi on a motorcycle in 10 days. I first headed south to the Mekong Delta, and stopped here on the return trip. After a long and eventful ride from deep in the Mekong Delta back to the chaos of Saigon, I needed a break. I also had no choice but stop, because my motorcycle headlight had burnt out. I got in just before sunset. Instead of going straight to the mecahnic, I decided to detour to the top of the a nearby hotel and take some photos. I’d have plenty of time to find a mechanic and ghet back on the road. Downtown is full of new buildings bright lights, and great bars and restaurants. Oh, and lots of lights.

So I had the brilliant idea of deciding to ride a motorcycle across Vietnam. The first thing everyone asks, is if I ride a motorcycle. Yes. I have. Not regularly, but I do know how to ride a motorcycle. I'm crazy, but not idiotic enough to try to ride across a developing country on a motorcycle with zero prior experience. Before I left to Vietnam, I got in touch with some rental company in Hanoi, wired them a deposit, and had them ship the bike to Saigon for me. So off I went, 10 days to cross Vietnam. All my gear bunjee corded to the motorcycle, map in hand, and absolutely no real route/itinerary.